Nutritional Support Assistant - Band 3

The Nutritional Support Assistant plays a vital role in supporting the nutritional care of patients admitted with hip fractures, helping to improve recovery, rehabilitation, wound healing and overall outcomes. Working closely with Dietitians, Nurses, Catering Services, Speech and Language Therapists and the wider multidisciplinary team, the post holder identifies and addresses nutritional risks affecting patient health and recovery. Key responsibilities include screening patients for malnutrition using approved assessment tools, monitoring food and fluid intake, supporting nutritional care plans, and encouraging patients who require assistance to eat and drink. The role involves maintaining accurate records of dietary intake, weight and nutritional interventions, while promptly escalating concerns to registered healthcare professionals and Dietitians.

A significant focus is promoting nutrition and hydration among older adults who are vulnerable to malnutrition following hip fracture surgery. The post holder supports the provision of oral nutritional supplements, assists with meal ordering and protected mealtimes, and helps create a positive dining experience to maximise nutritional intake.

The Nutritional Support Assistant also contributes to nutrition and hydration improvement initiatives, supports patient and family education, and ensures compliance with local policies, food safety standards, infection prevention measures and safeguarding requirements., Support the delivery of high-quality nutritional care for patients with neck of femur fractures on Ward 3A and those cared for as outliers on other wards. Assist in screening and monitoring patients at risk of malnutrition using approved nutritional screening tools. Collect, record and maintain accurate information, including food and fluid charts, weight records, nutritional intake data and anthropometric measurements. Support patients with prescribed oral nutritional supplements, including Aymes shakes.

Assist Dietitians in implementing nutritional interventions and monitoring patient progress.

Liaise with ward staff, Catering Services and members of the multidisciplinary team to ensure appropriate nutritional care is provided.

Provide basic dietary advice and healthy eating information within agreed protocols and competency frameworks.

Accurately input and maintain patient records on electronic systems in line with Trust policies and data protection requirements.

Participate in audits, service improvement projects and data collection to support the development of the Nutrition and Dietetic Service.

Promptly escalate concerns regarding a patient's nutritional status to the supervising Dietitian or appropriate healthcare professional.

Participate in mandatory training, supervision, appraisal and continuing professional development activities.

The Nutrition Support Assistant will be part of the Trauma and Orthopaedics multidisciplinary team, supporting patients with neck of femur fractures throughout their recovery. Working closely with Dietitians, Nurses, Doctors, Allied Health Professionals and Catering Services, the post holder will help optimise nutritional status, promote healing and support rehabilitation through the delivery of safe, effective and patient-centred nutritional care. We are seeking an enthusiastic, adaptable and motivated individual who is committed to improving patient experience and outcomes while contributing to the organisation's values of excellence, compassion and continuous improvement.

The successful candidate will demonstrate:

Compassion and empathy when supporting patients, relatives and colleagues.

Respect for diversity, treating all individuals with dignity, kindness and fairness.

Professionalism and integrity, maintaining confidentiality and adhering to NHS values and Trust policies.

Accountability for their work and willingness to seek guidance when required.

Effective teamwork and collaboration within the multidisciplinary team.

A proactive, flexible approach to meet changing service needs.

Strong attention to detail and commitment to accurate documentation and record keeping.

Reliability, punctuality and commitment to high standards of care.

A commitment to continuous learning, development and service improvement.